The present invention relates to water-purifier devices such as are used for providing high-quality drinking water for home or other use.
Water-purifier devices are known comprising a housing having an ultraviolet lamp disposed within a tube and radially spaced from its inner surface to provide an annular passageway for the water to flow while being subjected to the ultraviolet radiation in order to sterilize the water. In one known type, the ultraviolet lamp is enclosed by a sleeve, such as of quartz, which is transparent to the ultraviolet radiation. It has been found, however, that the efficiency of the ultraviolet lamp to sterilize the water is decreased by solid particles within the water which tend to deposit on the outer face of the ultraviolet lamp sleeve. Such deposits of solid particles on the ultraviolet sleeve also increase the down-time during which the device is not in service because of the need to dismantle and clean it.
An object of the present invention is to provide a water-purifier device having advantages in the foregoing respects.